Bathtime
by ayafangirl
Summary: William is stressed and Grell knows just the right thing to do. WillxGrell fluff. Inspired by body wash, for the record.


_A/N: Not gonna lie. Inspiration comes to me at stupid times. I've been meaning to type this for a while. You see, I got some Johnson brand body wash for Christmas and weeks later when I used it, I ended up with a nogin full of WillxGrell fluffiness. And so, here is a lovely, soap-inspired piece XD_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Toboso Yana's Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) or Johnson's Melt Away Stress Body Wash._

_She approaches every situation with a quiet sense of calmness. You instantly feel at peace in her presence. She loves this lavender & chamomile body wash because it does more than indulge her skin with irresistibly soft lather. This unique formula, with an exclusive blend of soothing essences, helps her unwind and feel pampered as she washes her cares away. -Johnson Body Wash container (no I'm not really being serious for the record, but this is seriously on the container XD)_

Things were not going well in the realm of Death Gods. Things were really not going well in the British Division. And things were going far less than acceptable in Sector Two, London, of the British Division. No one could feel this more than the individual upon whom all problems had landed, William T Spears. Of course, watching the madness unfold, Grell Sutcliffe felt as though he might be close to understanding the gravity of the chaos just by watching his superior bury himself in work, phone calls, meetings, and Reaping, a job which was usually left to lower-class Dispatchers.

It was probably true that most problems were his fault, he considered, twirling a long strand of red hair around one finger as he sat in his boss' office, polishing his scythe. His yellow-green eyes shifted up to look at William sympathetically, the dark-haired man was rubbing his temple with his left hand, his right hand moving rapidly to write his signature on a stack of papers. Once each one was signed, he placed it in a pile on the opposite side of his desk. The list of signed letters was about six inches in height on the right side of his desk. The papers to be signed were stacked about sixteen inches on his left.

"It is my fault, isn't it?" he dared to bring it up. Hell, he dared to speak at such a time. But he couldn't help it. Fear of William's wrath had been plaguing him for far too long. It was time to test the waters and find out where he stood in the quiet Reaper's mind at the moment.

It could be argued that Grell had not caused all problems being faced by the London Sector of Death Gods. They had been low in personnel for nearly a decade with little assistance from any other branches or countries. It was only a matter of time before this led to a breakdown of some sorts. But what had truly thrown London into the dirt in the eyes of all other gods of death was the Jack the Ripper incident. The red Reaper had become caught up in his obsession with bloodshed and the color red, and with the psychotic Madame Red at his side, he had wreaked havoc…and led to copious amounts of work to be done.

"Arguably it is."

A three-word answer. That was a bad sign and Grell frowned, running a rag over the small blades of his 'improvised scythe:' two small pairs of red scissors that had once been a huge chainsaw. Part of his punishment, of course.

Punishment could have been much worse. He had broken nearly every code that there was to break in the Code of Grim Reapers. With Sector Two so low in personnel to begin with, his chance of execution had been unlikely even as the trials began. But as superiors had looked into just how bipolar and unstable the violent and effeminate Death God had the tendency to be, it had appeared he had little reason to be permitted to remain alive and serving as a Dispatcher in the realm.

In had entered William, busy anyway with work Grell had caused for him, but ready to defend a member of his Sector. William, who had bowed before a demon and rescued Grell rather than allow him to die, a victim of his own stupidity. William, who had not only left without making any attempt to kill the demon, the number one threat to the delicate balance all Death Gods worked hard to maintain between living and dead souls, but who had gone so far as to apologize for Grell's behavior.

It had been a shock to all. The tall, somber man had been known as obsessively immaculate in most everything he did. It had been attention to detail and strict obedience to laws that had allowed him to climb the ladder to success he had. The fact that he had not assigned anyone to investigate the deaths of the prostitutes from the beginning was a wonder. In addition, he had allowed Grell to leave their realm repeatedly without questioning.

Down the judges trying Grell had glared at William, who stood calmly and with a voice unwavering as he was questioned for such sudden incompetence. His answers had generally been one to three-word answers, although he was willing to elaborate whenever asked to and with utmost respect and eloquence. Head bowed respectfully, but with a determined glow in his deep emerald eyes, he had spoken out for the redhead, defending him on many points and assuring all that he would work hard to make up for mistakes. Grell had sat, eyes on his lap and fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

All he had wanted to do was stand up and beg for his superior to shut up. He would have dropped onto his knees and begged, not for his own salvation but for William's. But the raven-haired man's words had rung in his ears since they had been spoken.

It was before the first meeting of the trial was to begin. Grell's hands had been shaking and his eyes tearing despite his best efforts to remain calm. It had been a welcome relief to see the tall man enter the cell he had been held in; it had been Nirvana to suddenly feel strong, warm arms around him and hear that familiar, level voice against his ear.

"_Grell. I won't let you die, understand? If you want things to go as smoothly as possible, I need for you to let me talk. I know how to get you out of this as seamlessly as it will, but you have to stand down and trust me. No matter what I say, and no matter what I do, do not speak out. I'll handle this."_

Those words had not been assurance to keep him relaxed; they had been an order, and laced in subtly, a threat to dare and defy that order. Now, in the deafening silence of the office, the long-haired man sighed, understanding fully that William's intentions had never been to alleviate the troubles of the Sector, merely to warp everyone's interpretation of the Jack the Ripper case and make it look as though he was just as much to blame as Grell. In this way, he had managed to save Grell. Sure, his beloved death scythe had been lost. And yes, he was not allowed to go out and Reap souls for a while, but he was still a Dispatcher working for Sector Two, which was more than he would have believed possible (even if he would be feeling repercussions in his wallet for years to come, no doubt).

"Arguably it is? Well whose side would you argue for?"

The faint sound of a pen scratching paper ceased and William looked up from his work to stare at Grell. "Is that really a question worth asking? Have I not proved the depths of my loyalty to you? A cause, might I add, which is wholly unnecessary considering my position and yours."

"Oh…" Grell's hand slipped and one of his two scissors fell to the floor with a light thud. He leaned down to pick it up, eyebrows knitting together in frustration. "Then why did you? If I have so little to offer—"

"Perhaps I spoke too harshly," William interjected thoughtfully. "Please accept my sincere apology; I'm really too tired to be having this discussion now, Grell. Obviously this _is _your fault, but obviously, I'm managing."

"_That's_ that look in your eyes, then. It's exhaustion. I know I have a lot of work to do too, but see how I don't try to do it all at once, Will? You're going to kill yourself. That's an especially amazing task being as you're already dead!"

"Interesting. I might actually find that an entertaining notion were I not only half-listening. Please forgive me for being so forthright, but would you mind giving me the rest of the evening to myself so I can finish paperwork for now, Grell? I'm sorry. I promise we can spend another night together when the residuals of this mess are a bit farther behind us." He spoke clearly and with a composed look at the smaller man. His polite request might be accepted with understanding and willingness to comply were the man he spoke to anyone aside from the emotionally-driven nutcase known as Grell.

"No." Catlike eyes shone from behind red-rimmed glasses with stubborn determination. "Will, you're about ready to collapse. This can wait for another day," he added, motioning to the papers around them. "Now, I'm taking you home and making sure you get some sleep. You might be stronger than me, but I'm at an advantage because I'm still alert-enough to focus and also, I'm loud." He smirked in triumph and waited for the rebuttal he was sure William would have for him.

"…Do you really think no one will mind if these take another day to get mailed out?" he asked instead, voice dubious but eyes hopeful as he motioned to his desk.

His sharp-toothed smirk melted into a tender smile as he nodded in assurance, offering his hand out for the dark-haired man to take. Uncertainly, a leather-gloved hand met a cotton-clothed one and both Death Gods made eye contact; suddenly the stress of the trials was eons behind them.

The two walked to William's apartment in silence, the taller man enjoying the fresh air and the assurance that he would soon be home and sleeping, while the redhead enjoyed the feeling of his superior's hand in his own and the way their footsteps clicked on the pavement together. Soon they were at the apartment. William unlocked it and allowed Grell in, stepping in after him.

The long-haired man grinned and put a hand on his hip womanishly, voice light but leaving no room for argument. "I'm going to draw a bath for you, alright? I know just what will make you feel better."

"If it's quite alright with you," William responded, "I would like to go straight to bed. I really need to sleep—"

"You won't sleep well if you go straight to bed with so much stress eating away at you!" was the passionate argument made. "Trust me. I'll make sure you feel better!" he leaned up to kiss the taller man's cheek lightly and pulled back, pouting. "Please?"

Two shades of green collided as William looked skeptically at Grell and Grell looked back demandingly at William. Finally, the dark-eyed man sighed. "Very well. But please don't turn this into a drawn-out…"

"I'm not in the mood to be pervasive, don't worry." He responded softly. "You really are a brute, assuming that I'm a desperate woman who needs physical attention every night," he added with an effeminate scoff. His hands landed feather-light on his superior's upper arms and he backed him up slowly until the backs of his knees hit the couch. Willing him to sit down, he smiled and pressed his lips against his ear. "Stay here. Soon you can go to sleep and I'll be by your side all night, ok?"

A wave of exhaustion overcame him, but he nodded. "Yes," William was surprised by how weak his own voice sounded, but he wanted to stay awake for Grell. He wanted to be with him and to fall asleep holding him. The house was dimly lit and soothing, the sound of the redhead moving about the house, flitting from room to room with tireless energy was assuring, and the worries of the day…were still pressing him down. His half-lidded gaze widened and his head snapped up.

"I left my Management profiles at the office!" he hissed in frustration. "Dammit!"

His hands moved unconsciously to rub his temples as a migraine threatened to blot out his vision completely. Stomach churning and anger coursing through his veins at his blind-sightedness, his shoulders edged up closer and closer to his ears as his brain scanned how much time he would have to fill them out if he arrived in the morning, early, of course.

"Please stop," a girlish voice wavered in from the other room. "I'll keep you up all night if you hurt yourself with stress."

"I'm not hurting myself," he murmured. "I just…"

After a few minutes, the smaller man moved back into the living room, kneeling before his lover with tender eyes. "I've got a nice hot bath drawn with lavender and chamomile. Alright?"

"Yes, thank you, Grell…I'm sorry for doing this to you—"

A black-gloved finger pressed against his lip. "Why should you apologize?" he waited for their eyes to meet. "I love you. I want to help you when you're down, Will."

The gaze was held for a few more moments before the redhead let out a gentle gasp as William pulled him into a hug. "Grell…"

Cheeks growing redder and redder, the smaller man jerked up. "Your cold is getting water. That is—! Your bath water is getting cold! We should probably go into the bathroom and—"

"Yes, yes, I know. Let's." the dark-haired man responded with an amused smile. He rose feeling a bit weak, but taking Grell's hand and leading him into the bathroom. "Thank you very much. Would you like to meet me in my room? I'll be out in only a few minutes—"

"Are you daft?" the redhead answered, pulling his ribbon off from around his neck and placing it on the counter, then beginning to unbutton his vest, then dress shirt. "I'll be bathing with you, silly."

"Wh-what?" despite how numb he was feeling, the taller man immediately felt his cheeks heat up as a blush crossed his face.

"The last thing I need is you drowning in the water—"

"Haven't we been through the fact that I'm already dead? I don't need to breathe in order to live—"

"Not to mention that if I don't keep you in longer to de-stress it'll be totally pointless—"

"All I want is to sleep anyway, Grell, please don't be so difficult—"

"And man that you are, you wouldn't even appreciate the lovely lavender scent and its relaxing qualities were I not here to point it out to you—"

"I appreciate everything you're doing for m—"

"Lastly," he added purposefully, "if I can't sleep with you tonight, I want to at least be allowed to take your clothes off."

Well there it was. One eyebrow raised, William allowed the smaller Reaper to continue to divest himself of clothing, then start on his own clothes. "I can do this myself you know. Are you sure it has to be you?"

"Yes. I like taking Will's clothes off," he answered girlishly, earning an uncomfortable groan in response. His fingers moved quickly and efficiently to remove the taller man's vest, dress shirt, and take his belt into both hands. Here, William's hands moved onto his.

"Grell…"

"What's the big deal? We've had sex before. How is taking your clothes off to sit with you any worse?"

"I'm not saying it's worse," he responded, raking his brain for any reasons for his hesitation and finding none. "It's just different."

"So was sleeping with me the first time," he answered, brushing his lover's hands away gently and tugging his belt and pants down gently, then helping him step out of them. Their eyes locked once again as with teeth biting into his lower lip, William gave into Grell's wishes completely and allowed his undergarments to be removed as well. "Ok, good." He spoke softly. "Now careful stepping into the water. It may be hot…oh, and don't slip!"

He caught the unpleasant glare being cast his way and pouted. "I know. I'm not in the best of mental states, but I'm also not five years old." With that he stepped into the tub, waiting for the redhead to follow. Instead, the smaller man stood for a moment to watch his superior move. His narrow waist…hip bones that seemed to jut out of his body…slim arms and sinewy muscles that moved beneath pale smooth skin around his shoulders and neck…and of course his sheer green eyes. Against his dark black hair and his pale, pale skin, his eyes seemed to be the only color on William as he lowered himself into the water, looking up to frown at his boyfriend. "Stop staring."

"I'm not staring, I'm admiring," he answered sweetly, following him into the warm bath water and sighing contentedly at the pleasant and soothing heat. They sat on opposite ends of the bath, legs against each other. Grell had pulled his hair up and secured it with the ribbon he usually wore around his neck, creating a large and messy bun along his head and neck to prevent his hair from becoming wet (it normally took hours to dry). With this task completed, he happily sank lower and lower into the water until it was up to his neck, a few stray strands of crimson floating around him.

With some hesitation, William followed; the hot water felt magnificent against his tense muscles and he too let out a soft sigh as the water level rose. For nearly a full minute, they sat in silence, feeling truly comfortable to an almost heavenly degree for the first time in a long time. Slowly pulling himself back up, Grell took a washcloth that had been lying along the side of the bath. He dipped it into the water, then reached out of the tub to take a container. Opening it, he poured a pale purple powder onto the cloth.

"The lavender chamomile?"

"Yes, it's really a lovely bath salt, I got it from a charming little shoppe, Will. Let me take you sometime." With that, he leaned forward to take the dark-haired man's slim wrist and run the soapy cloth up his arm.

"Grell?"

He smiled at his lover. "I'm bathing you, William. Deal with it and let me dote on you." Their eyes locked and for a moment, there was a silent argument ensuing. The redhead won. He ran the washcloth along the shape of William's arm and shoulder, around his back and then to his other arm. "You never let me take care of you," he murmured softly. "Even…during my trial. You keep everything pent up and when I try to let you lean on me, you recoil as though you're ashamed to love me."

"That isn't true." He stated firmly. "I believe in a separation of work and personal lives."

"Then how am I alive?" he countered smartly. Silence fell and the smaller man continued. "If you truly separated the two things, I would have been fired, relocated, or killed. Most likely the third one. But you didn't let that happen. You took the weight of the world upon your shoulders without even showing outward signs of struggle. You risked it all for me. And you never even let me help you. You hardly even let me speak during the trial…you….you…" _You never even let me thank you_. He was about to do just that when William wrapped his arms around the redhead and pulled him against his chest.

Grell let out a gasp and looked up at his superior in a flushed shock. William's eyes were closed and he tipped his head back slightly, looking utterly pain-free. "I love you, Grell."

"I…love you too," he whispered against the taller man's chest.

They sat there in the tub for quite a while after that, neither of them moving, or wanting to move. Eventually, the water began to cool, and they moved out of the water. Grell grabbed a towel, throwing it around his waist and handed another to William without even looking at him (the modesty was greatly appreciated by the dark-haired man).

"Oh, and one for your hair, too…" he mused, taking a third towel.

"Grell that is not necessary…" but suddenly the frailer man had tugged him forward and was rubbing the cloth against his damp hair much like a parent would to a child. Unable to hold back, the older man laughed, expression completely innocent and blissful for a few moments. The effeminate man felt his cheeks heat up at this sight; he seldom saw this side of his lover and it made him extremely happy.

Once they were both dry-enough for the shorter god's liking, the moved into the bedroom. They had been together long enough that Grell kept a pair of his own sleeping clothes at his superior's house without thinking much of it, and they dressed in a sleepy silence on either side of the room. Something about changing into such soft clothes that were connotative with dreams and pillows gave William a sense of finality to his busy day, and his fingers worked clumsily over the buttons of his dark blue nightshirt.

He turned around to face Grell, knee-length hair down once again, and sitting on the bed in a long white nightgown. These were out of fashion, but still acceptable for a man to wear, while qualifying (in the redhead's mind anyway) as a dress. It was a win-win article of clothing and something William was by now accustomed to seeing.

He sat beside him, not knowing what to say for a moment. Finally, he settled on simplicity since exhaustion was lacing his mind with dull sleepiness. "Thank you…for everything you've done for me, Grell."

Smiling, he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders and laid him down onto the pillows gently. "You don't have to thank me for anything. I love you, remember? I just wanted to do something nice. You saved my life…let me make yours enjoyable."

"You don't have to soak me in lavender to do that," he chuckled, eyes closed but hands holding Grell's face close, fingers stroking his cheeks softly. "Just by being with me you make life enjoyable."

"William…"

Without thought, he pulled him down and kissed him slowly. The kiss was passionate although simple. Beneath him, Grell could feel William's weak body fighting to stay awake and yet the kiss didn't lack energy or sincerity. Kissing back with a quiet sigh, he draped himself over the dark-eyed man, removing his glasses for him and placing them on the bedside. He took off his own red-rimmed ones and broke the kiss to smile down at his boss.

"Bedtime?" he asked.

"Bedtime." Nodding, he turned to the single candle illuminating the room. Silently, the long-haired man leaned over to blow it out and a blanket of darkness was cast over the room.

Settling comfortably nestled within William's arm and with his head resting against his shoulder, he breathed a final long breath of contentment before closing his eyes.

"Oh, by the way, Will, you smell nice."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

He could hear the smile on his voice and matched it. "Goodnight, my love."

Sleep came readily and sweetly, bringing them both into the safe realm of dreams. They didn't move from their spots, clinging to each other as they gained their strength back and breathed gently, rhythmically. Morning came and for the first time in weeks, William didn't stir. He slept in with Grell, with his lover, cocooned in warmth and peace.

_Yeah...it was almost deadly-fluffy at the end XD but I did so enjoy writing it. Thank you, Johnson brand Melt Away Stress Lavender and Chamomile Body Wash :) and thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think!_


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